Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Blog Action Day 2013...Human rights

Human rights need to be enjoyed by all.
The fact that you are a cleaner, should not deviate from your innate human rights.
"Be the best sweeper that you can be"?

Access to clean water should be a right that all people on our continent should have.

That goes for power as well.
There are many communities in Africa that have neither.
Either in quantity or quality

Often water supplies have dried up...
Or access has been denied by those in power.
The latter to keep the population subservient and easily controlled.

Often pristine water sources are destroyed by local indigenous populations.
Not out of malice, but as a result of not understanding the long term effects of their actions.
In Howick, KZN, the Falls in the centre of town has become the local "laundry"...
This has an effect on the quality of the water down stream from the falls,
and those who depend on clean water for their livelihood

Would YOU like your water to look like this?

Or this?
A build up of algae is a result of "bad" nutrients in a water supply.
This water might be usable, but only after boiling

Soap build-up after local communities use rivers for washing...

Perhaps it is time that trades and skills need to be taught,
rather than book learning?
This is part of a hand-built stone dam on a property near Johannesburg.
Built by unskilled labour, the property owner enabled them
and their legacy now stands as a testament to the power of skills

Water hyacinth, an imported weed in South Africa,
can be turned into furniture once dried.
Once again, the right to earn a living comes with input.
The days of the "colonial hand-out"are over.
All people need to take control of their own destiny by putting in effort.

Africa does not need empty classrooms.
We need them filled with students eager to learn.
Not with a of sense entitlement

This community centre, in the Kwandwe Game reserve,
is a prime example of how the surrounding communities are working together.
Helping each other to raise the local children as well as building sustainable projects.

This one of the community champions.
Giving a hand up rather than a hand out!

This is one of the projects that they undertake in order to raise funds.
These dolls are on sale at the shops in the reserve as well as at ORT International Airport.
To find out more about the work that they do:www.angusgillisfoundation.co.za

The end goal is to make certain that all communities have access to clean water.
and...

And the image of these birds scavenging across our continent,
will be erased...